Back when Tuesday was still young, Governor Rick Perry said that no matter what happened in Tuesday’s Iowa Republican presidential caucuses, his campaign would be all-systems-go.

“My plan is to go to South Carolina and continue on,” Perry told Fox News, as noted by Jason Embry of the Austin American-Statesman.

In Des Moines, Peggy Fikac of the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News heard Perry speak before employees of a financial group, saying, “I don’t get confused that this is a marathon. It’s going to go on for some time as we lay out our vision for America.”

But by ten o’clock on Tuesday night, the word on everybody’s lips was “reassess”—though Perry himself actually only said “assess.” As Embry reported:

“With the voters’ decision tonight in Iowa, I’ve decided to return to Texas, assess the results of tonight’s caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race,” Perry told supporters gathered at a hotel here Tuesday.

Perry added: “With a little prayer and reflection, I’m going to decide the best path forward.”